It is to our great benefit and frustration that nature always reclaims its children. Whatever we as humans create, whether technical, mechanical, or structural, is destined to turn to dust some day. As it turns out, the same thing goes for arcade video game machines—heavy electronic boxes that often get left behind when a building becomes derelict.

It's a weird juxtaposition to see high technology (and especially entertainment technology) in a state of decay, because such an image goes directly against the sunny marketing narratives we're bombarded with every day. Those messages tell us that human products are durable and well-designed, and they imply a better life or a better future. But like anything that has been neglected, technology rots away. When it comes to entropy, nature chooses no favorites.

Over the past decade, daring hobbyists called urban explorers have been documenting the world of abandoned buildings, often sharing photos of their journeys online. On the way, they've come across arcade video games that are slowly crumbling away, succumbing to those natural forces. And like rubberneckers at an accident scene, our morbid curiosity gets the best of us and we can't look away.

Beyond that, there's another message we can take away from the images ahead: We must care for what we have, or we risk losing it. Preservation is an active process that takes time and attention. With that in mind, I have assembled a collection of photos that showcase the talents of the daring photographers who explore these abandoned places, sending back vivid reminders of what happens if we simply stop caring.

(This story was originally published on April 7, 2016.)

For Further Reading: If you're interested in the history of Atari computers, check out ExtremeTech EIC Jamie Lendino's new book Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation, which is now available in paperback and Kindle for $17.99 and $14.99, respectively.

1
Arcade Decomposition

An urban explorer from Ontario, Canada captured this almost surrealistic scene of three arcade video games (RoboCop, UFO Robo Dangar, and Arch Rivals) seemingly melting into the floor. Most arcade game cabinets were (and still are) made of laminated particle board, so if they get wet, the manufactured wood swells up like a sponge, gets mushy, then becomes unstable over time—hence the tilted cabinets seen here.

2
All Cracked Up

This arcade machine in an abandoned hotel in Italy has seen better days—its monitor bezel glass is not only broken and covered with filth, but it's also been trodden upon by cats. Still, it's amazing to see the contrast between the vibrant, playful colors on the machine and the stark reality of the situation. I've had trouble identifying this particular machine, but I'm sure someone out there can figure it out.

3
Arcade Graveyard

An urban explorer in Connecticut discovered this amazing warehouse full of gutted and abandoned arcade games, including video games, pinball machines, crane games, and coin-operated amusements of many other kinds. Whether it's an actively rented but neglected building (with lots of vandalism) or a completely abandoned place is unknown to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is where ghosts go to play video games.

4
Racing to the Apocalypse

In 2013, London-based photographer Emma Gawen captured this exquisitely framed image of a derelict Sega OutRun cabinet at an abandoned theme park called Spreepark Berlin in Germany. At one point, Spreepark was the only amusement theme park in East Germany. During that period it was run by the state, but post-unification, private owners took over the park. At its height, Spreepark once hosted 1.5 million visitors a year, but its owners shut it down in 2001. Now the only visitors it receives are explorers curious to see what a rotting theme park looks like. That's a theme unto itself.

5
The Lost Arcade

Urban explorer awwrisp discovered this dusty cocktail Moon Alien unit (Nichibutsu, 1980) while documenting an abandoned arcade called Low Hall Mill in Leeds, England. Moon Alien is a space shooter similar to Galaxian, and it's rather rare in the US. While missing its joystick and button, it looks almost good enough to plug in and play—if you dusted it off and thoroughly cleaned it up. Who knows what the electronics look like inside, though.

6
Rare Games

In 2011, an urban explorer who goes by "high mesa" stumbled across these two rare early video arcade games in a derelict building in Coaldale, Nevada. Standing tall despite missing many parts is the remnant of Midway's Tornado Baseball (1976), while another 1976 Midway game, Sea Wolf, lays gutted on its side. In decent working shape, these two cabinets would be undisputed collector's items, but sadly, they've been left to rot as mere shells of themselves—echoes of a distant time when they could bring joy to whomever once inhabited the building.

7
Peeling Paint and Ping Pong

"You stand in a large, open room. Plaster peels from the walls, and light spills in through broken windows. There's a sign on the floor that says '2 BEDROOMS,' a ping pong table covered in dirt, and a broken arcade machine whose cabinet looks like it is crumbling to the floor in slow motion."

No, this is not a room description from a text adventure game, it's a real place—Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, which was opened in 1917 and decommissioned in 1993. Walter Arnold captured this photo of a decaying Make Trax machine (Williams, 1981) that stands out like a beacon of color in an otherwise drab scene.

Photos like these are a constant reminder that no matter how amazing you think something is, if you don't take care of it, it will crumble away.

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